Home Opinion Mine Creek Revelations: Voting Place Confusion

Mine Creek Revelations: Voting Place Confusion

1346
0

YES, I AM STILL HERE peeking out of the newspaper’s window on Main Street and I am sorry there is confusion about voting this year.

Changes in the boundaries for federal, state, school and local governing bodies are the root cause. Many had to be redrawn because of changes in population in the 2010 US Census.

For example, city wards are all supposed to be of nearly equal population. Same for school board zones. Same for state representative districts. Etc.

Also, the decline in the number of people willing to work a long day at the voting places has made it a natural idea to cutback the number of voting places. At one time there were 20-plus voting precincts in Howard County.

FOR THE RECORD, any eligible Howard County voter can vote at any of the following places on election day:

• Carter Day Training Center, Nashville.

• Umpire Volunteer Fire Department, Umpire.

• Dierks Community Center, Dierks.

• Mineral Springs Methodist Church, Mineral Springs.

Those voting places may not be as convenient as your ‘old’ voting place, but they are still easily accessible to voters in north, mid and south Howard County. Just walk up and show ID.

Election reminders

Election day for the Preferential Primary Election is Tuesday, May 24, but Early Voting begins on Monday, May 9. On election day, voting places are open 7:30-7:30.

For persons wishing to participate in Early Voting, the voting place is the Carter Day Center in Nashville from Monday, May 9, through Saturday, May 21. Early voting place hours are Monday-Friday from 8-6; and on Saturday from 10-4.

There will be one other place in the county for early voting — on Monday, May 23, from 8-5, at the Dierks Community Center.

Just walk up and show ID.

The last day for early voting is Monday, May 23.

=—-= — =

SOME OBITUARIES in the newspaper.

Johnny V. White, age 63, Nashville High grad who became a ‘surgical technologist’ and died recently in Indiana. Johnny V was a great Scrapper basketballer and in fact earned a scholarship to Arkansas Tech.

I also remember him as a very likeable and reliable ‘paperboy’ for the ‘Nashville News’ in his pre-teen years. Peace.

Another obit in the newspaper: Hung Nguyen, one of the Vietnamese who escaped the Viet Cong and immigrated to this country. He died last week in Texarkana. Heart attack. I knew him from St. Martin’s. His son Steven joined the Navy hoping to become a SEAL. Peace.

Another obit in the newspaper was that of Dave ‘Buddy’ Ryan. One of the reasons I joined the Scrapper band in high school was because I thought he was so cool when he was in the band. Even recently I affectionately acknowledged him as “the greatest snare drummer in the history of the Scrapper Band.” Peace.

=—-= — =

THE GOOD EARTH. I’m beginning to worry about the Japanese Cherry Blossom tree in my front yard. Normally it’s in full bloom by this date, but this year there are only some small sorta reddish bulbs on the limbs. Hope it has survived the winter.

The tree was a 2001 birthday present from daughter Julie who has always managed to find unique gifts. BUT, the tree was caught in the US Mail stoppage after 9-11. It stayed in a regional postal center for a week or so, then finally arrived at my place after my September birthday.

I figgered the tree was dead, but planted it anyway.

It survived. And it survived an ice storm a few years later in which heavy limbs from a nearby Pine fell on it and bent some limbs to the ground. Out of revenge I had the Pine slaughtered.

It also survived the 2015 Mother’s Day Night tornado which uprooted other big trees in the yard. But now ….. 

AND ANOTHER ‘The Good Earth’ thingy: On my buggy window this morning for the first time this spring I noticed pollen.

I should have known because I’ve been sneezing at a record rate. Kleenex is in shorter supply than saltine crackers.

=—-= — =

PLEASE GET the Covid-19 vaccine. Most of the people who have died played hookey from getting their vaccination.

About a week ago the son of some longtime newspaper friends died. Age 51. Covid.

Someone wants me to stop nagging.

=—-= — =

THINGS I LEARNED from opening email: The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.

=—-= — =

WORD GAMES. Elder siblings: Aches and Pains. Never ask either of ‘em how they’re feeling.

=—-= — =

HE SAID: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Albert Einstein, scientist

=—-= — =

SHE SAID: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie, Nobel Prize winner in both physics and chemistry

=—-= — =

SWEET DREAMS, Baby

Previous articleSpecial trees planted at Howard County Children’s Center
Next articleDierks FFA ‘hog raffle’ now underway